Toy figures are extremely pervasive through the toy art and have been provided in a virtually endless variety of appearances, shapes and sizes. These various toy figures have included human-like replicas, monsters, fanciful creatures, and cartoon figures as well as other types of figures. While the variety of such toy figures is virtually endless, most share the common play pattern of providing a handheld figure which the child user is able to manipulate and move about while imagining all sorts of play scenarios. To add further interest to such toy figures, practitioners in the art have improved toy figures to include appendages and limbs which are movable upon the figure's torso as well as other articulated features such as closing jaws or the like. In still other variants, toy figures have been provided which include various types of miniature weapons such as projectile launchers or the like.
In a related art, practitioners have provided a variety of puppets which function with much the same play value as toy figures. While puppets generally describe both handheld "glove-like" hand puppets as well as string-controlled marionettes, those most similar to the present invention are generally referred to as hand puppets. Such hand puppets include a glove-like body within which the user places a hand and through finger and thumb manipulation provides animation for the puppet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,854 issued to Amici, et al. sets forth a CREATURE WITH SNAP-ACTION JAW having a pair of body members defining a body cavity together with a plurality of supporting appendages. The lower body portion supports a fixed jaw while a pivotally supported head portion is secured to the body and supports a movable upper jaw. A spring-driven trigger mechanism provides snap-action closure of the jaw.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,018 issued to Farrington, et al. sets forth a FIGURE TOY WITH LAUNCHING MECHANISM FOR CONCEALED FLYING ELEMENT having an insect-like body defining a rear cavity within which a rotatable winged projectile is secured. A launching apparatus within the figure's abdomen provides rotational motion of the winged projectile causing it to be lifted from the main body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,541 issued to Kulesza, et al. sets forth MECHANICAL ACTION MONSTER ROCK TOYS having one or more elements pivotally coupled to a generally planar base for movement to various positions. The elements are configured to provide a rock-like appearance to the figure.
U.S. Pat. Des. Nos. 333,854; 334,782; 334,955; and 330,575 all issued to Kupperman set forth similar designs for a shark toy figure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,626 issued to Maddi, sets forth an ANIMAL PUPPET having an appearance resembling a dinosaur and defining a hand receiving cavity therein. The figure includes articulated upper and lower jaws which are manipulated by the user's hand in a hand puppet action.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,710 issued to Sommers set forth a PUPPET MOUTH CONSTRUCTION having a hand puppet body defining a fanciful dog-like face and supporting articulated upper and lower jaw portions. A cavity within the puppet receives the user's hands to facilitate manipulation of the upper and lower jaws.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,457 issued to Milner sets forth a HAND-HELD PUPPET WITH PSEUDO-VOICE GENERATION having a puppet including a hand controllable upper and lower beak together with a sound circuit controlled in response to beak motions induced by the user's hand within the puppet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,020 issued to Amici, et al. sets forth a GLOVE PUPPET FIGURE ASSEMBLY AND POWERED WING DRIVE MECHANISM having a glove puppet having a body which generally resembles a winged insect supporting a riding human-like figure together with a plurality of articulated wings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,025 issued to Amici, et al. sets forth a GLOVE PUPPET FIGURE ASSEMBLY WITH ARTICULATED HEAD COMPONENTS having a hand puppet having a body generally resembling a winged insect and supporting a plurality of extending wings, a movable jaw and a toy figure riding the puppet. The insect's jaws are movable in response to hand manipulation of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,425 issued to Amici, et al. sets forth a GLOVE PUPPET ASSEMBLY WITH FINGER ACTUATED CLAWS having an insect-like body supporting a rider and having a plurality of extending claws which are movable in response to the manipulation by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,762,163 issued to Stein sets forth a PUPPET DOLL having a puppet body for receiving a user's hand to articulate the head and facial expressions of the puppet.
U.S. Pat. Des. No. 268,222 issued to Chen sets forth a GLOVE having a general appearance resembling a shark or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 961,812 issued to Siegel sets forth a FIGURE TOY having a hand puppet body resembling a dog or the like and having a finger movable jaw mechanism within the head thereof.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,034,255 issued to Bacon; 2,795,896 issued to Snyder; and 1,028,068 issued to Hamley set forth examples of typical hand actuated puppets.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have provided improvement in the art and have in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved, interesting and exciting toy figures.